“I just thought, I can’t swim!” Stacia Kirk said, as she reflected on her first World Masters Swimming Championships more than 10 years ago. “At least, that’s what I felt like compared to all the other women I was competing against!”
Stacia swam against several ex-Olympians, so you can understand why she felt just a little overwhelmed.
Of course, competing at an elite level isn’t for everyone. Fortunately for Stacia – and for Silverchain – Stacia’s rare ability for absolute focus has served her well in the pool, and as a Data & Insight Analyst for Silverchain in WA.
Fast forward to 2024, and the competition is just as strong as Stacia prepares for her sixth World Masters Swimming Championships. This time, she competes in Doha, Qatar, between February and March 2024 in the 40-44 age category.
It also helps that Stacia is on the right side of some truly remarkable achievements.
“I won two gold medals and a silver at the World Masters Swimming Championships in Japan in 2023,” Stacia said, her humble excitement still evident.
It’s this girlish excitement that makes Stacia’s continued enthusiasm for swimming so enticing.
“After a hard training session, you still get that high,” Stacia said. “You’re exhausted, but high! And I love the feeling when you know you’re swimming well – in the 400m freestyle, I can tell how fast I’m going within 0.2 – 0.3 of a second, so I know when I’m ‘on’ and when I’m not.”
It’s this sort of extraordinary focus that also comes to bear in Stacia’s work.
With an undergraduate degree in biomedical science, Stacia is now working towards a masters in epidemiology as part of our Data Strategy & Analytics team.
“Being able to focus helps me prioritise when there’s a lot of complexity in my work,” Stacia said.
“At the moment, I’m collecting and analysing data that will help the leadership to easily see trends relating to safety and quality across the organisation” Stacia said.
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